BATON ROUGE -- LSU’s first basketball All-American, Malcolm “Sparky” Wade, heads the 10-player LSU Basketball early years team as part of the school’s upcoming 100th anniversary of the first intercollegiate basketball game played by the Tigers.

The early years team (players from 1909-1939), joins the selection of all-star teams from each of the decades from the 1940s forward that took place during Southeastern Conference play during the 2007-08 season. With the 10 players from the early years team, a total of 81 players are now eligible for the vote for the LSU All-Century team that will begin on Oct. 1.

LSU will celebrate its 100th anniversary of its first intercollegiate sanctioned college basketball game on the weekend of Jan. 30-31 with a giant player reunion dinner on Jan. 30 followed by the present day Tigers playing on Jan. 31 on a day that will also include several alumni player festivities both on and off court and the announcement of the All-Century team.

Wade was part of the 1935 mythical National Championship team coached by Harry Rabenhorst that won a special challenge game in Atlantic City, the American Legion Championship Game, against Pittsburgh. LSU won the game, 41-37. Wade was All-SEC in 1934 and 1935 and was the school’s first All-American. He was part of a six-year string of LSU players setting the young league’s scoring record.

Other members on that 1935 team on the early years team including Buddy Blair (1933-35), Arnold “Judge” Bryan and Jack Harris.

Bob Jones – 1924-26 – three-year starter, always one of the top two scorers on the team.

Jack Torrance – 1931-34 – All-Southern Intercollegiate, 1932.

Sparky Wade – 1932-35 – LSU’s first All-American, 1935; Led SEC in scoring three years. “Little Giant from Jena” was the dribbling leader of the LSU team that won the mythical national championship in 1935.